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Monthly Archives: January 2010

If anybody knows what Jeremy Hazell and Mike Rosario are going through this season, it’s Terry Dehere.

The Seton Hall University hoops legend was inducted into the New Jersey Sports Writers Association’s Hall of Fame on Sunday during a banquet at the Pines Manor in Edison.

A sharpshooting guard with a lightning-quick release who remains Seton Hall’s all-time leading scorer, Dehere was asked prior to the ceremony if he had any advice for Hazell and Rosario on how to deal with the relentless defensive attention that comes their way.

“It’s all about your preparation,” he said. “Everyone knows you’re going to score points and they’re going to try to prevent that. You go through ups and downs but the main thing is to stay focused and consistent with the things you do.”

Dehere scored 2,494 points, a Big East record at the time, and earned All-America honors as a senior in 1992-93. He averaged 22.0 points that winter, shooting 46 percent from the field, 39.6 percent from 3-point range and 82 percent from the free-throw line.

If Dehere ever had a slump it was during his junior year, when he “only” shot .427 from the floor and .321 from 3-point range, posting a 19.4 average. But he was a remarkably consistent player through his career.

“You have to play in the flow,” Dehere said. “If someone’s playing you (with junk zones or double-teams), that means you have to get the ball to other places. You have to be calm and be patient. You can’t take poor shots. You can’t get into that situation when you’re taking bad shot after bad shot because a lot of stuff will run through you anyway. The best thing I can say is be patient and stay consistent with the way you work and prepare.”

In his remarks to the crowd of about 500, Dehere, who is involved in several community initiatives in his hometown of Jersey City, praised St. Anthony coach Bob Hurley and former Seton Hall coach P.J. Carlesimo for instilling the discipline and work ethic that helped him succeed on and off the court.

He also thanked the person who introduced him, Association president emeritus Emery Konick, for only mentioning his high school and college stats.

“When I was at St. Anthony we lost like four games, and when I was at Seton Hall we lost maybe 15 games,” he said. “When I was in Los Angeles we would have a 10-game losing streak and then start to slump.”

Bob Hurley also was on hand to receive the Association’s Man of the Year Award.

Hurley’s team was fresh off an upset of perennial power DeMatha on Saturday. He went to Forno’s in Newark to celebrate, got word of Mike Rosario’s strong showing against Notre Dame and then convinced the soccer-loving Forno managers to turn on the end of the Kansas-Kansas State game, where he saw Tyshawn Taylor drain two key free throws in overtime to preserve the Jayhawks’ win.

He mentioned that the Friars had a good practice Sunday morning to prepare for a showdown against Plainfield on Tuesday.

“We have to be ready, because I believe Plainfield is the best public-school team in the state,” he said.

Hurley also pointed out how proud he was of Terry Dehere’s work in the community and pretty much summed up the reasons why he’s never left St. Anthony despite all the offers to coach at the next level:

The idea is to use the lessons on the court to prepare kids for life off of it, he said. It’s about more than basketball. It’s about life.

The nine-game losing streak is over. Rutgers put a Big East win on the board by swatting Notre Dame and Luke Harangody back to Indiana 74-73. Six thoughts and six quotes:

— This win started in the middle, where Hamady N’Diaye simply kicked Harangody’s tail (8-of-26, just six rebounds). Let’s be honest: Harangody is softer than Frosty the Snowman on a 60-degree day whenever he sees Rutgers’ 7-footer. He ran for the hills again tonight, settling for jumpers and short-arming rebounds and loose balls. Clearly intimidated, his body language was bad and what’s more, his unwillingness to attack N’Diaye allowed the big fella to avoid foul trouble and log a season-high 38 minutes.

For the record: In four games against N’Diaye, the All-American shot 23-of-86 (26 percent).

N’Diaye’s fine work allowed Rutgers’ other defenders to stay out on Notre Dame’s shooters, and the result was a subpar 41 percent performance for a team that usually scores 80 per game.

— The old Mike Rosario was on display, shooting an efficient 8-of-15 and hustling for seven boards. He was inspired by the presence of legendary Jersey City sportswriter/personality Ed “The Faa” Ford, who had a pre-game chat with the former St. Anthony star. It wasn’t a gentle chat either. This was a butt-kicking pep talk, Jersey City-style. Basically, from what we can gather, the Faa told Rosario to quit sulking and take advantage of the golden opportunity he had to be the featured player on a Big East team. It worked, at least on this night, as Rosario played hard, took good shots and set up his teammates when Notre Dame threw the diamond-and-one on him.

— James Beatty showed he can be a legitimate Big East point guard, posting 10 points, nine boards, five assists, three steals and just two turnovers in 33 minutes. Beatty and Rosario were big reasons why Rutgers posted a 46-37 edge on the glass—-the first time the Scarlet Knights have outrebounded a Big East foe this season. The guards were aggressive in gathering in the long rebounds from ND’s jump-shot failures.

— It’s indicative of just how football-oriented Notre Dame is that Mike Brey doesn’t get more heat. In the two minutes N’Diaye sat, in the first half, Notre Dame had three possessions and Harangody didn’t touch the ball even though Austin Johnson was defending him one-on-one. Brey always has a lot of talent and, aside from one run to the Sweet 16, pretty much nothing to show for it over his 10 seasons at ND other than a consistently soft team that can’t defend and can’t win on the road.

— A good source indicated that Muhamed Hasani won’t be back this season and possibly ever (see previous post). We’re still not sure of the specific reason though.

— Governor Chris Christie was on hand and squeezed himself into a seat in Section 104, across from Notre Dame’s bench. Dressed casually, in person, he’s much wider than he looks on TV. Former governor and college sports bon vivant Richard Codey was there as well. Maybe he was scouting for a new Seton Hall AD?

THE QUOTES:

ROSARIO:

“It feels great to go out there and bounce back from all the losses. We finally cracked the rock, like Coach Hill says. We’ve been trying to crack the rock for the longest, the longest, the longest. We kept pushing and we finally did it.”

“It really helped to get off to a good start. I was saying to myself, ‘OK the Faa is here.’ That’s one of the guys that was really in my corner ever since I was young. To see him at my game tonight gave me another relief because he almost died a couple of months ago. I was bringing every bit of it tonight because I wanted to show him what he was missing out on . . . He was like, Go out there and be a Jersey City kid and play hard. I got off to a good start and once I felt it, once I knew I was there, I was like, I’ve got to keep it going.”

HAMADY:

On Harangody: “I’m a natural defensive player, I love playing defense, but I also studied him a lot (on film). . . After the first couple of blocks that I had, they decided to shy away from the basket, and that’s the effect that a shot blocker is supposed to have. Once people are taking all jump shots I know I’m doing my job.”

FRED HILL:

“I know it’s hard for you guys to see, I know we’ve gotten beat by a lot of points, but we’re playing a certain way. It’s not the points that you lose by. We’re playing a certain way, there’s more possessions in the game. Instead of losing by eight and everybody think it’s respectable, we’re trying to win, and if we don’t play that way we’re not winning the game tonight.”

“We all know its’ a tough stretch, but that’s why I talk about us having great kids. When they go through tough stretches you can hang your head, you can pack it in in practice. Our practices have been great, they’re working hard, and I’m really happy for them that they got rewarded for their mental toughness.”

On the shot-clock malfunction that forced a lengthy official timeout with Rosario on the free-throw line and 2:40 left: “Only in the RAC. Maybe you guys can all chip in and buy us a new scoreboard. Only here can we freeze out our own guy on the line.”

Rutgers freshman guard Muhamed Hasani has requested and been granted a leave of absence in order to attend to personal issues in his native Kosovo, according to a statement released by the athletic department. A source close to the program said he will not be returning this season.

“Our thoughts are with Muhamed and his family,” head coach Fred Hill said in the statement. “His well-being is our primary concern. He needs to go home and we support his decision to do so.”

Hasani has played in nine games this season and is averaging 4.2 minutes and 0.7 points per game. He was sidelined for a month after suffering torn meniscus and having his knee scoped in late December, but returned to the court Tuesday and logged five minutes against Marquette.

His departure leaves the Scarlet Knights with nine scholarship players.

— On the high school front, we saw the best local game of the season so far when Ridge beat Gill St. Bernard’s 67-66 at the buzzer in overtime: Frisoli’s shot caps Ridge rally against Knights. HH SAYS: Any coach who seeded Gill lower than fourth needed to see this. The Knights whacked Ridge with a roundhouse to the chops, but the Red Devils’ seniors are resilient. The third quarter, during which Ridge outscored Gill 32-23, featured the best jump-shooting display I have seen in a high school game. Have a feeling we’ll see this matchup again in late February.

— Seton Hall absorbed a crushing loss at South Florida as strange things were brewing in Gonzo’s rotation and the home team had plenty of motivation. This report from the Tampa Tribune is telling: Bulls show Gonzo: We’re no pushover

— From Sports Illustrated, former SHU coach Tommy Amaker has Harvard going hoops-mad heading into tomorrow’s showdown with Cornell: Harvard School of Basketball

— As Brendan Prunty reported on NJ.com earlier this week, Rutgers is making a statistical bid for being the worst-ever Big East team: Constantine Popa, here we come!

— More from Prunty: One of the good guys in the business, former SHU assistant John Dunne, has St. Peter’s poised for big things: Time for a new banner in the Yanitelli Center?HH SAYS: Siena held off the Peacocks 66-58 Thursday night, but Dunne and company are going to be one tough out in the MAAC Tourney.

— Welcome to college basketball’s digital age, where a rumor is started on message board by someone utilizing a handle, then graduates to a sports website where the bylines only have first names, and finally makes its way onto the blog of an established newspaper reporter, thereby spreading like wildfire to all corners of our great nation. I wonder how often Bob Knight logs onto the internet (if at all): Congrats Bobby, you are the next Rutgers coach. Right?

9. Louisville: Think it bugs Rick Pitino that Gonzo has beaten him twice in three years?

10. Marquette: Rutgers made them look like Jordan’s Bulls.

11. Cincinnati: Born Ready . . . for the NIT.

12. Providence: Maybe the most impressive 4-4 league mark in the nation.

13. St. John’s: A gold standard compared to the other major sports team in Queens.

14. South Florida: Spring training exhibitions will outdraw them.

15. DePaul: Barely better from the line (.564) than the Cuse is from the field (.534).

16. Rutgers: Instead of Caldwell can we put St. Pat’s on their schedule?

WHO’S HOT

Dominique Jones: South Florida’s do-everything guard scored 46 points in a 109-105 overtime win at Providence, the second-highest total ever in a Big East game. He also notched 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Jay Wright: The dapper head coach of 19-1 Villanova is second-most popular guy in Philadelphia right now, after Kevin Kolb.

Geno Auriemma: His incredible success with the UConn women makes you wonder—could he win big as a Big East men’s coach? We tend to think yes.

4: Teams in the top six of the latest RPI Report: Syracuse (1), Villanova (4), West Virginia (5) and Georgetown (6).

0: Times Villanova opened 8-0 in league play prior to this season.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Connecticut at Louisville, Monday at 7 (ESPN): It’s February 1, and the Huskies and Cardinals are desperate for a win. Has that sentence ever been typed before? Battle of the mercurial guards in Kemba Walker vs. Edgar Sosa.

Seton Hall at Villanova, Tuesday at 7 (ESPNU): Bobby Gonzalez likes to talk about “glamour games”, “getting some buzz”, and being “in the conversation.” Well then, this is Gonzo heaven. Two deep, backcourt-driven rosters trade fireworks in a raucous environment.

Pittsburgh at West Virginia, Wednesday at 7 (SNY): The backyard brawl, basketball version. This will be more like a steel cage match as the league’s two best defensive squads drop elbows on each other. Can you picture Bob Huggins flying off the top rope?

1. Bob Mulcahy might as well have taken a wrecking ball to the RAC, because Rutgers’ exiled athletic director left its primary tenants in a smoldering scrap heap. Whether you agreed or disagreed with giving Fred Hill a two-year extension after two 10-win seasons, the fact that the entire sum was guaranteed is “absolutely negligent,” to quote a high-ranking administrator at another school. Uncle Bob also spent like a drunken sailor on the latest contract for C. Vivian Stringer, an accomplished coach but one whose program hemorrhages money and is starting to show some cracks of its own as illustrated in this report from NJ.com. Tim Pernetti is going to need Houdini’s help to wiggle out of the financial straightjacket bequeathed by his predecessor.

2. Don’t believe the spin coming from Seton Hall’s administrators about Joe Quinlan. It’s true that the athletic director hasn’t been ordered to clean out his desk, but the writing is all over the wall and you don’t need Sherlock Holmes to connect the dots. Here’s when they’ll finally confirm reality: After the dust settles and everyone departs for the summer, a terse statement will be released at about 4:45 on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.

3. There’s not much to say about Rutgers’ 23-point shellacking at Marquette except this: Each successive non-competitive loss does more long-term damage to the program. It makes it the job less attractive to coaching candidates, makes it less likely that key players will return next year, makes it harder to raise money to refurbish the RAC. If Rutgers goes 0-fer the Big East, the fallout in terms of negative recruiting and everything else could bury the program for five years, maybe more.

And he draws the foul: In light of Kentucky’s loss and Kansas’ upcoming challenge against rival K-State, Villanova stands a real chance of obtaining the No. 1 ranking next week. That would provide quite the opportunity for Seton Hall, which matches up pretty well with the Wildcats, to make the kind of splash that could reverberate until March. Stay tuned.

HIGH SCHOOL EDITION:

1. In case anybody needed reminding, the gap between New Jersey’s best parochial team and best public-school team is a mile wide. That’s the message from St. Pat’s 74-52 drubbing of Plainfield Tuesday night at Union H.S. Plainfield had the chips fall their way—Tyrone Johnson was a full go after recovering from his toe injury, the capacity crowd was nearly 100 percent behind the Cardinals, and Kyrie Irving sat out the first five minutes due to bruised ribs—yet still fell behind 23-4 and never got the deficit closer than 16. Read the game story here. The Cardinals looked unnerved in the first half. They’ll have to overcome that to have any shot if these clubs meet again in the Union County Tournament final.

Notes from the scene: There were plenty of luminaries on hand—former Seton Hall center Grant Billemeier is an assistant coach at St. Pat’s and must have shed 50 pounds from his playing days, Tom Konchalski dropped in and so did Seton Hall assistant Scott Adubato. But maybe the weirdest sight was seeing Jayson Williams—he of the ankle bracelet—entering the Plainfield locker room after the game and offering the Cards some words of encouragement. Apparently he has connections with Plainfield rec folks and they ushered him in.

Also have to tip the cap to PA announcer Rich Biddulph, who was calling out the assists (don’t hear that very often on the high school level) while donning a dapper corduroy blazer.

2. Hats off to Somerville, which knocked off Gill St. Bernard’s Tuesday and really upset the apple cart on the eve of the Somerset County Tourney’s seeding meeting. The Pioneers drove home the point: This is the most wide-open SCT in many years, maybe ever. And Joe D’Alessandro’s club reminds us of axiom No. 1 in basketball: If you play good defense, you always have a chance.

As for Gill, hiccups happen when you are sophomore-driven, but the Knights have to take a hit in the seedings. In other words, they can’t be No. 1 any longer. But where do they fit in? It should make for some fascinating banter at tonight’s meeting. We’re looking forward to it (and the pizza) and we’ll post the result as soon as it’s rendered.

3. So, then, here is Hoops Haven’s revised “ballot” for the SCT seeds, updated to reflect Tuesday’s results. I agonized over this for nearly 90 minutes—it’s the toughest ballot in my 13 years on the beat. There’s been quite a bit of movement from yesterday, which shows you how volatile this is:

1. Ridge (11-3): Took care of business with a 48-38 win over Warren Hills. Reward their consistency.

2. Hillsborough (12-2): Coming off a narrow 59-56 win over Watchung Hills, but they have beaten both Ridge and Montgomery.

3. Montgomery (13-2): Lock them in here. A 57-38 rout of Franklin was a statement.

4. Gill St. Bernard’s (9-2): Somerville loss is gonna cost them, and this could be generous. Some coaches are going to seed them as low as No. 6, and they have a case. In our view the body of work, which includes wins over Immaculata, Irvington and Union, keep them from sliding further.

5. Immaculata (9-5): With four losses (we won’t penalize them for playing St. Anthony) and Tuesday’s 47-41 squeaker over Bridgewater, it’s temping to drop them back behind Somerville and Rutgers Prep. Like those schools, they have one signature win (Hillsborough). Their second-best win (Piscataway), last week’s close loss to Montgomery and the program’s status as the defending champ could break the tie. It’s awfully close.

6. Somerville (11-2): The Pioneers can make a case for No. 4 after stunning Gill. We won’t quibble if they get it. But taking the whole body of work into account, their resume is not quite as strong as the schools ahead of them.

7. Rutgers Prep (10-4): After Somerville’s win over Gill, you can make a case for them to go as high as No. 4. They’ve played a tough schedule, but aside from Somerville they don’t have a hang-your-hat win. Tough call.

CONGRATS, Part I: To Dunellen, which became the first local team to win its division. Great job by Bernie Buniak and company reloading to defend their crown. Gibney leads double-OT triumph

CONGRATS, Part II: To former Bridgewater standout James McNally, who reached the 1,000-point, 500-rebound milestone on the same day as a junior at Franklin & Marshall.

EXTRA NOTES

FIRED UP: It’s a good sign you’ve arrived as a rivalry when the gym is packed in for a mid-January game. Such was the case when Somerville beat Delaware Valley 50-32 on Tuesday.

“It’s pretty exciting. My first year here they didn’t even pull one side of the bleachers out for home games,” Terriers coach Eric Jacobs said. “Our program has done some good things, we put basketball on the map here, and the kids are excited about it in school. You hope to play better with a crowd like that, but what are you going to do?”

SUPER SKED: How about this eight-day stretch of games for Gill St. Bernard’s: At Xaverian (N.Y.), at Somerville, home vs. Ridge, at Montgomery and home vs. St. Patrick?

“It’s a challenging week, and I think it comes at a great time,” Knights coach Dave Pasquale said. “The shine of the early season wears off a little bit and we’re not into the county scene yet, so a week like this really keeps us focused, it forces us to be at the top of our game and hopefully it will prepare us well for what’s beyond this week.”

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Plainfield vs. St. Patrick at Union, Tuesday at 7: This is a potential preview of the Union County Tournament final. If Tyrone Johnson plays, the Cardinals could be competitive with the No. 4 team in USA Today’s rankings and the give-and-take with Celtics star Kyrie Irving should be fun. If not, let’s just say it will be a good experience for the guys in red.

Ridge at Gill St. Bernard’s, Thursday at 7: How good is Gill St. Bernard’s? We still don’t really know, but this will be the first big test. Much will hinge on how Ridge copes with rugged 6-foot-6 forward Dominic Hoffman. Key matchup in the backcourt: Ball-hawking Ridge senior Nick Cefalo vs. high-scoring Knights sophomore Alex Mitola.

MORE GAMES TO WATCH

Bridgewater at Immaculata, Tuesday at 7: Rematch of an opening-night thriller.

Bound Brook at South Hunterdon, Tuesday at 7: The Eagles can salt away the Valley Division.

Gill St. Bernard’s at Montgomery, Saturday at 6: Another chance to take stock of the Knights.

First things first: Plainfield star Tyrone Johnson sprained his big toe in practice Friday and is questionable for the Cardinals’ showdown vs. St. Pat’s Tuesday. “We’re going to be cautious with him,” Plainfield coach Jeff Lubreski said on Sunday. Unless Johnson is a fast healer, we’d be surprised to see him vs. the Celtics. …continue reading →

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About the Author

Jerry Carino has covered sports for the Gannett New Jersey newspapers since 1996 and has been on the college basketball beat since 2003. A native of Old Bridge, he also teaches journalism at Kean University.Email Jerry.